After a brief pause in the Medicine Show series, Madlib returns with a 28-track, full- length hip-hop album of collaborations with AG, Guilty Simpson, MED, Oh No, Strong Arm Steady and others. Karriem Riggins pops in for a short Supreme Team session, Madlib & Oh No debut their group The Professionals, and we hear for the first time a Jaylib-era track from Madlib & Dilla\'s never- realized second album.

A 28-track hip-hop album of exclusive Madlib collabos w/ A.G., Guilty Simpson, MED, Oh No, Strong Arm Steady and others. Karriem Riggins pops in for a Supreme Team session, Madlib & Oh No debut The Professionals, and we hear a Jaylib-era track from their never-realized second album. Low Budget High Fi also contains several Loop Digga instrumentals and of course interludes, outerludes and probably quaaludes.

The unofficial title of this album is Dirty Demos selected by the Loop Digga, a reference to a fire which destroyed some of this album's master tapes - a story detailed in the CD's 12-page booklet. The CD cover is by Isabel Samaras, LP illustrations by Gustavo Eandi, and design by Jeff Jank.

Tuesday, 9 November 2010

The third official trailer, which you can find below these very words, reveals a few more snippets of footage we haven’t yet seen, including the faintly spooky sight of a young, computer-generated Jeff Bridges, and retro television announcements of his character’s disappearance in the late 80s.

"Raised in the Athens Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, Cle "Bone" Sloan was four years old when his father died, and 12 when he became a member of the Bloods. Now an inactive member of the notorious gang, Sloan looks back at the history of black gangs in his city and makes a powerful call for change in modern gang culture with his insightful documentary, BASTARDS OF THE PARTY".

Monday, 8 November 2010

Future Sound is a short documentary that looks into a small cross section of London's forward-thinking underground dance music scene, exploring some of the things that define and affect it as it moves into a new age of digital innovation.

Featuring interviews with Roska, Scratcha DVA, Blackdown, Mark Fisher, and Lisa Blanning, plus footage from a live SBTRKT DJ set

New podcast time and this one comes from the mighty Girl Unit, the man behind IRL and Wut.....It features some unreleased Nightslugs tracks, classics from DJ Assault and Der Zyklus, fresh heat from Boddika, LV, Lando Kal and more.....

When The Orb were hailed as the new Floyd, Alex Paterson worried it could ruin thier rep. Now, 20 years on, he's delighted to be working with Dave GilmourPremium Article !

By Aidan Smith

"ALMOST 20 years ago, Alex Paterson's The Orb were hailed as the new Pink Floyd and a music magazine managed to bring psychedelic-rock legend Dave Gilmour and the young pretender together for a front-cover feature.It seemed like the obvious comparison. Both acts wanted to expand minds and explore space. Both favoured long pieces of music and lengthy song-titles - the Floyd with Several Species Of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together In A Cave And Grooving WitADVERTISEMENT h A Pict and The Orb with A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld. And to add to Paterson's credentials as a watcher of the skies, his Kintyre-born father helped construct the Telstar satellite.

But the Orbman was nervous. "I remember we met in Notting Hill at what I think were Dave's offices - I was told he was obsessed with aeroplanes and there were propellers everywhere," says Paterson. "I thought being called the new Floyd would be bad for us. We'd already made two experimental albums; we'd invented this thing called ambient house. I thought that being associated with this guy from a different generation would hold us back. Dave, of course, was very gracious. He must have thought I was this snotty upstart, which I was, but he didn't let on. So it's pretty funny and pretty amazing that we've ended up making this record."

The collaboration, Metallic Spheres, involves two pieces of Orb noodling built round Gilmour's guitar, both lasting around 20 minutes, the length of one side of vinyl back in the day, and grew out of a charity event for Gary McKinnon, the Glasgow-born hacker fighting extradition to the US. Back in the day, the two would have shared the same studio. "This was more like file-sharing," says Paterson. The tracks began with Gilmour jamming with Paterson's regular collaborator Youth, then he took them away and manipulated them.

When Pink Floyd were in their prog-rock pomp and making giant inflatable pigs fly, 49-year-old Paterson was a punk. "I must have hated Pink Floyd back then," he says. "Like everyone else in that movement, I was blinkered in the belief they were old hippies and therefore had to die. God, I must have been insufferable, smashing things up for the hell of it. I'm only glad I didn't become a fully-fledged football hooligan."

But when he casts his mind further back, Paterson acknowledges that he loved the Floyd, that they soothed him through an often troubled adolescence. "My dad died when I was three and shortly after that I was ostracised by my mum. I got sent to this private boarding school, Kingham Hill, where Dark Side Of The Moon became this little soundtrack to my life and I had the pyramids poster you got free with the LP on my bedroom wall. I also loved the Floyd's Meddle album for the track Echoes, which lasted all of side two and sampled football chants.

"The school was an odd place. You were either a kid from a broken home or a vicar's son and it was real sink-or-swim stuff.

My best friends were Martin Glover, before he called himself Youth, and Guy Pratt, who would one day play bass with Pink Floyd. We were always crying out for the normal family life we thought everyone on the outside was enjoying. We dealt with the tADVERTISEMENTrauma of, aged 11, suddenly having to look after yourself, and we ended up swimming. And when we left we soon realised that 'normal' doesn't really exist."

Duncan Alexander Robert Paterson is proud of his Scottish roots. He's just as likely to call himself a European these days, although despite being London-born and a Chelsea fan, admits he couldn't bring himself to cheer for England at the World Cup. He's father to Mia Arizona, ten, and four-year-old Tiger Young (named after the 1950s calypso musician Young Tiger, not the golfer). Paterson's older brother Martin died in 2001 and is much missed.

"There were nine years between us and it's nine years since he passed away so I'm about to go to Bologna where he lived for a party with his Italian friends. Martin took me to my first gigs, for which I'll always be grateful. And he reminded me of two people: Tom Baker as Doctor Who and Dave Gilmour."

Paterson started out as a drum roadie, couldn't sing or play an instrument and is deaf in one ear so he can easily appreciate great musicianship like that of Gilmour. "His importance, and that of the Floyd, cannot be overstated. It's not about grandeur but the way they used music to evoke emotion, which is a special talent."

The Orb have been burbling away for two decades now, their blissed-out music often in stark contrast to rows, rapidly changing personnel and legal disputes over the sampled voices of Minnie Riperton and Rickie Lee Jones among others. Paterson, who played chess for the duration of their sole Top Of The Pops appearance, has been the one constant. He talks of eventually handing over The Orb to daughter Mia - "She sings our song Fluffy Clouds around the house" - but isn't retiring yet and indeed appears to have been re-energised by the hook-up with Gilmour.

"Jimmy Cauty, the original other member who left to concentrate on the KLF, has asked to come back to the fold and we're going to re-record what should have been our first album but never got released. I'm also doing an opera - the Royal Opera House has commissioned one from The Orb for 2012. And I'm going to be working with Lee 'Scratch' Perry who, like Dave, was an original hero of mine. One by one, I'm knocking them off."

What a shame, then, that Paterson and Gilmour didn't actually share a pot of tea or something stronger during the making of Metallic Spheres. "Youth cocked that up by not sending me a text saying Dave was in the studio. I was his prefect at school, you know, so there will be punishment." v

Metallic Spheres (Columbia) is out on 11 October

• This article was first published in the Scotland on Sunday on September 26, 2010

"FACT’s mix series is 200 sessions old. To honour the occasion, we’ve got a mix from one of our favourite groups of recent times, Darkstar.

Darkstar started as the duo of James Young and Aiden Whalley, with a series of singles on their own 2010 label, as well as MG77 and Clandestine Cultivations. Within a year, they’d become a key part of Kode9’s Hyperdub roster, debuting for the label with the minor classic ‘Need You’/’Squeeze my Lime’. UK garage and synth-pop filtered through a chiptune lens with vocals sung by the world’s saddest robot, it expanded on the promise shown by early Darkstar cut ‘Out of Touch’, and showed glimpses of the mournful computer pop to come.

A year later, Darkstar released ‘Aidy’s Girl is a Computer’, fulfilling that promise and winning them fans beyond the FWD>> circuit they were primarily known in. A whole album of these frozen Mac laments looked set to follow (and would have, if album outtakes ‘Automating’ and the original version of ‘Gold’, found on this FACT mix, are anything to go by), but at some point between them and now, Darkstar scrapped that idea and became a three-piece, with comparatively clean vocals sung by new recruit James Buttery.

Last month, they released their debut album, North. You can read FACT’s review here; needless to say, we think it’s great. Darkstar’s FACT mix features the original version of North highlight ‘Gold’, as well as cuts from Games, Radiohead, Moodymann, New Order, Shed and more. In the words of the group’s James Young, ‘it’s a mixed selection, and I’ve tried to keep it in an arrangement that I myself would listen in personally. It’s typical of tunes I’d skip between before I record, and what we were listening to recording the album.” FACT MAGAZINE

Tuesday, 2 November 2010

"Ahhh… the office xmas party and all its associated cliches… it’s a British institution, and one that we will wholeheartedly embrace come the 18th December 2010 as Brownswood invites a few friends and family to dance, drink and be merry at London’s xoyo. We’ll provide the music and the dancefloor – you bring the xmas cheer. Yes, it’s a little way off yet, but let’s face it, the weeks preceding xmas generally pass in a fog of mulled wine and manic sociability, so we wanted to give you the date for your diary well in advance. Plus, it gives us plenty of time to pressgang Gilles into dressing up as Santa!" (Brownswood Records)

UK bass music is ever-changing, and Bok Bok and L-Vis 1990's new imprint is at the forefront of its most recent mutation.

You're no longer feeling your local music scene. Do you a) bitch about it, or b) do something about it? "We wanted to bring on a new era and that is what we were saying from the get go," says Alex Sushon, AKA Bok Bok, on the inception of the Night Slugs parties back in early 2008. Sushon and partner James Connolly, AKA L-Vis 1990, have since translated a sense of personal disquiet into one of London's freshest sounding parties and 2010's most celebrated labels.

The revolutionary aims Sushon refers to were, in his case, a reaction to the London grime scene. Having played, produced and partied to the music since discovering a DJ Slimzee mix in 2003, he had grown disenchanted with grime's apparent shift away from the dance floor. In terms of UK dance strands, he fell back on the nascent bassline scene but was simultaneously getting kicks from much further afield. "I was interested in grime from a socio-economic point of view and I started looking around the world to see if there was anything similar happening," he remembers. "I got into a lot of the US localised ghetto genres. I got really into the Baltimore club sound, the Chicago ghetto house sound and in Detroit, ghetto tech. I checked out what was going on in Africa and really got into the South African stuff."

L-Vis 1990 and Bok Bok.Connolly's grounding, meanwhile, was as a promoter, DJ and producer in his hometown of Brighton. He co-ran drum & bass and breakstep night Fallout with locals Mumdance and High Rankin during his teens, then, after gradually losing interest in the genres, started the party that would prove pivotal. So Loud! became indicative of Connolly's more electro-fied tastes. He credits the booking of Drop the Lime (and the ensuing party) for setting him on the musical path he now finds himself—and for the inspiration behind his 2008 breakout track, "Change the Game." Its speed garage inflections and crafty US hip-hop samples caught the ear of the London-based Sushon, who contacted Connolly through MySpace. The pair began a dialogue based on uncannily similar tastes, while a still Brighton-based Connolly booked Sushon for a party he was throwing up in London.

"It took James to move to London for us to really get going," recalls Sushon on his partner's eventual relocation north, "but from an early point when we started to talk about music we said that the status quo in the clubs at that point was basically shit and we weren't feeling it." The first Night Slugs party was staged at the Redstar in south London's Camberwell, March 2008. (The venue now boasts a small chapter in bass music folklore having provided an early platform for artists such as Oneman, Ben UFO, Shackleton and Ramadanman.) The initial party was a smash success, followed by a dip in numbers at subsequent gigs as they experimented with bookings and found their feet. There was also a sense that people were unwilling to venture south of the river for a night out, and the event shifted to the more centrally located East Village.

The array of DJs booked for those early forays—Oneman, Zomby, Rekless, Lil Silva, Kode9, Jackmaster, Crazy Cousinz, DJ Zinc—cultivated a fertile patch of ambiguity surrounding the party; their "4x4/Heavy Bass/Gutter House" descriptor at the foot of flyers was similarly nebulous. Sushon and Connolly had come good on their freewheeling aims. And from the melting pot something new began to form. "After a while it just made a lot of sense," says Sushon. "What we found was that as DJs in our own right as well as [those playing at] the night, a certain sound was starting to come together around it. There was ourselves, and other people around us started to make tracks that just fit together and fit in our DJ sets."

The lesser known Girl Unit, Egyptrixx and Kingdom were at the core of this colourful collective—although their sound world continued to reside only within the confines of their club nights. "After a while we found that a lot of the tracks weren't getting a home and were just sitting around not getting released," explains Sushon. "In particular some of the early Kingdom stuff was a big motivation. James and I said to each other, 'Why is this stuff just sitting there? Why aren't labels picking this stuff up?' Six months might go past and the same tracks might still not be signed and it was quite frustrating so we thought, 'Why not just do it?'"

NS001 dropped in January 2010 and sent out a picture-perfect postcard of not only the Night Slugs parties, but the smorgasbord of London bass music. Square One also represented Mosca's debut release. In its digital form the EP collected eight tracks, including "Nike"—a ten-minute meander through boulevards of bleeps and broken beats—an uproarious remix of "Square One" from Bristol talent Julio Bashmore, and further re-rubs from Roska, Greena, Bok Bok and L-Vis 1990. The EP's artwork also couldn't fail to be noticed. Sushon has been behind all of Night Slugs' incandescent presentation (he has a professional background in design) and agrees that the sounds feed directly into the sights: "There is a lot of neon going on in the music in general I think especially with those really bright analogue synths. I am really obsessed with Tron and that kind of luminescence."

The world seemed ready and willing to embrace the Night Slugs label from the off. A certain youthful zest and fluorescent brilliance endeared UK sympathetic media outlets to their releases and cast a thematic shaft of light across their discography. It's best then to think in terms of colours when attempting to delineate the Night Slugs sound: how else to group the nocturnal juke of Girl Unit's "IRL," the 8-bit Funky of Lil Silva's Night Skanker EP, and the mutant R&B of Kingdom's That Mystic? Connolly is also swift to dismiss any suggested associations between UK Funky and the label. "I wouldn't want any genre name applied to the label at all," he says sharply. "UK funky is something totally different. It was Crazy Cousinz, Roska and all those dudes back then. I think that UK funky as a genre is pretty much obsolete now. I think it has turned into a big soup of different sounds."

Shadowing the imprint proper has been the Night Slugs white label series which began with a re-release of L-Vis 1990's Compass / Zahonda. "That was one for the heads really," comments Connolly on their pseudo sub-label. "Getting tracks out that we didn't want to put on the label to be a statement. It was more getting out tracks for the dance floor and bootlegs as well that we can't really put out for legal reasons." On that last point Jam City's "Ecstasy (Refix)" comes immediately to mind. Endgame's 1983-released "Ecstasy" was given a sub-bass makeover and has proved to be the imprint's most coveted 12-inch. A sense of anticipation had been built over Jam City's debut, but Sushon says that, generally speaking, they favour speed over secrecy: "I learnt lessons from dubstep where in the early-to-mid days of the scene people like DMZ would leave tracks floating around for a year before they would put them out and I saw people getting really frustrated at that. As much as I'm into the dubplate culture, I didn't want it to be an elitist thing that drives people mad."

"Brand" is a frowned upon term in certain music circles, although it would be fair to say that Night Slugs is pushing hard on multiple fronts. The pair toured the United States in late 2009—before the imprint was even formed—and the same can be said about their regular show on London's Rinse FM which began around the same time period. In terms of the label, their first compilation, Night Slugs Allstars Volume One, will drop in November and will be followed by albums from Jam City, Egyptrixx and L-Vis 1990. Connolly has recently spent time in New York feeling out the vibe of his classic house-indebted LP. "It's like Night Slugs but made in Chicago in 1988," he says, again illustrating his and the imprint's resolutely forward momentum.

Night Slugs is flourishing within in an unprecedented climate of creative endeavour that has recently gripped UK bass music; innovation is a word that both Sushon and Connolly use liberally. "That is something that we have always had to a greater or lesser extent and that's why our music scene is cool," concludes Sushon when asked why the UK scene is in the midst of such a purple patch. "There is constantly a side of our music scene that doesn't give a shit and is trying to do something new at the expense of any kind of a rule book. I think that's what the UK has that some places don't at the moment. Currently there are two things going on: Firstly, because of the internet and the fact that people have started to pay attention to the UK... it seems like there is a new thing when there might not necessarily be a new thing. Secondly, amongst us guys and maybe our peers, there is a reaction against the more formulaic genres that dominate most of the clubs around the Western world. Formulas are shit and we don't want them, so that's why we don't do them."

Night Slugs MixThis month's label showcase comes courtesy of L-Vis 1990, one-half of the team behind Night Slugs. Over the course of three-quarters of an hour, he takes us through the neon-lit world of the label.

"Space Dimension Controller was born sometime in the 24th century. Lucky for us, then, that he traveled back in time, crashed his Electropod and has been stuck here for just long enough to release some of the finest and funkiest electro-tinged records of 2010. (That, or he's Jack Hamill, a young Belfast producer obsessed with hardware.) SDC's sound may be retro-tinged, but it has excited everyone from Kyle Hall (who remixed SDC on Clone's Royal Oak) to Josh Wink to the brains behind legendary techno label R&S. The latter will likely put out SDC's debut full-length next year. To tide us over, SDC has found time in between repairs on his Electropod, filling in for Tensnake at our ADE party this year when the Hamburg producer found himself with wisdom tooth troubles and otherwise touring around the world on old-fashioned airplanes to put together a mix that stitches together his own tracks with a healthy dose of (mostly) old school treats.

What have you been up to recently?

Since narrowly avoiding death by sending myself back in time to the year 2010, I've just been enjoying myself on Planet Earth. Of course, I need to get back to my own time, but unfortunately my Electropod was damaged when I crash landed on Earth. I'm trying to fix it, but there are so many distractions here... So many synthesizers and other hardware that I could never obtain in the future are easily accessible and, with all this access to amazing equipment, I just finished my debut EP for the label R&S.

"The ‘Temporary Thrillz’ doublepack vinyl release sees Jack advancing his signature sound over this maxi EP format, that also includes 4 locked grooves and comes in a limited first run on purple splattered vinyl! People have difficulty pinning down the SDC sound, I’ve seen it described as electro, space funk, cosmic disco, pop-psychedelic, techno-funk, jazz fusion, disco house and electronica.

It’s probably all those things and more, and we are proud of the fact that its so hard to pigeonhole. The ‘Temporary Thrillz EP’ contains intergalactic slow jams, deep club excursions and mid tempo space funk, all with the SDC trademark depth, soul and finesse"

Along with the EP, I've also just done a remix of Model 500 for R&S and a remix of Anthony Shakir for Rush Hour. The annoying thing is that I had already been in contact with R&S from the future and had a whole album's worth of music aboard my main vessel, but that will have to stay there until I fix my time travel device and I can send it back to them for Earth to enjoy.

How and where was the mix recorded?

The mix was recorded aboard my Electropod which is docked in my secret base in an uncharted area of the Atlantic Ocean. I used my laptop, various machines and hardware effects plus a few old mixers to give it a real gritty feel.

Can you tell us a little bit more about your idea behind the mix?

I didn't want it to be just another laptop mix, so I kind of treated it like I treat my own tracks when was making it. I like scrutinising tiny details and starting to loop tracks out of nowhere, then bringing in a drum machine or two or filter a tiny bit here and there. I don't like things being repetitive for too long, which could be seen as a bad thing if you're playing a set in a club, but I don't really care. I'd rather do what feels right in my head even if it means the dance floor gets angry because I cut out of a track before it even gets to the peak time full support bangerschnerden bit.

What are you up to next?

Depending on how long I'm back in your time, I might end up making another single for R&S before I fix my time travel device. Once I'm back in the year 2352, I'll make sure to send my album back in time for R&S to release it to the world. Those guys at R&S really are the best and they know exactly what's going down. They have made my stay here on this primitive, yet funky planet so much easier. I'm a complicated man, but no one understands me like my synthesizers". Resident Advisor

Sunday, 31 October 2010

TOKYO (TR) – Fans of analog music were dealt another blow when consumer electronics company Panasonic announced earlier this month that it would be discontinuing the audio products within its Technics brand, most notably the legendary line of analog turntables.

On October 20, the company said that it was winding down production of the Technics SL-1200MK6 analog turntable, the SH-EX1200 analog audio mixer and the RP-DH1200 and RP-DJ1200 stereo headphones due to challenges in the marketplace.

“Panasonic decided to end production mainly due to a decline in demand for these analog products and also the growing difficulty of procuring key analog components necessary to sustain production,” the company said in statement issued to The Tokyo Reporter.

Last year, Japan’s last remaining vinyl pressing plant, owned by the production company Toyo Kasei, produced around 400,000 discs from its multifloor factory in Yokohama’s Tsurumi Ward, a far cry from the industry’s peak of 70 million four decades ago.

Panasonic said that sales of analog decks today represent roughly 5 percent of the figure from ten years ago. At present the company has no plans for putting analog turntables back on the market.

The SL-1200 series turntable, which enjoys a massive following in the DJ community, had been in continuous production since 1972. Since then 3.5 million units have been produced, making the brand’s purple and gray logo (“Technics” written twice) an icon in clubs.

The turntables are acclaimed for their quick start-up and reliability, achieved through its durable Direct Drive turning mechanism (via magnets, as opposed to being belt-driven) and its heavy 12.5-kilogram base (composed of what is known as the Technics Non Resonance Compound), which isolated the platter so as to reduce feedback and the chance that the cartridge would jump.

Japan’s DJ community was abuzz, notably on the social-networking site Twitter, following the announcement. Tatsuo Sunaga (dubbed “The Record Chief”) said in an email that the announcement was unfortunate.

“I’ve been using these products for around 20 years and rarely suffered a breakdown,” explained Sunaga, who is a club DJ, spinning jazz up and down Japan, and the author of “I’ll Take That Record!” — a chronicle of a three-year vinyl-buying spree. “This type of excellence is something not seen globally, and I think the fact that one doesn’t need to purchase subsequent models as being the reason for forcing the move.”

But even if turntable manufacturers targeting top DJs continue to shrink their output, Sunaga sees those who prefer analog today as being too obsessed with the format to allow it to become extinct. “I don’t think analog users will lose interest,” he said.

Regarding the Technics brand itself, nothing has been decided other than the discontinuation of the mentioned products, the statement said".

Sunday, 24 October 2010

The three members of Run–D.M.C. grew up in the neighborhood of Hollis in the Queens borough of New York City, USA.[3] As a teen, Simmons was recruited into hip-hop by his older brother, Russell, who was then an up and coming hip-hop promoter. Simmons appeared onstage as a DJ for rapper Kurtis Blow, who was managed by Russell. Performing as "DJ Run, Son of Kurtis Blow," the younger Simmons soon began trading rhymes with Kurtis Blow and beat-boxing for the audience.[6] He would often come back to Hollis and play his taped performances for his friend Darryl McDaniels. Previously, McDaniels had been more focused on athletics than music, but soon began to DJ after purchasing a set of turntables. Simmons convinced McDaniels to start rapping, and though McDaniels wouldn't perform in public, he soon began writing cool and fantastic rhymes and calling himself "Easy D."

Simmons and McDaniels (who, over time, had overcome his early stage fright) started hanging around Two-Fifths Park in Hollis in late 1980, hoping to rap for the local DJs that performed and competed there, and the most popular one known to frequent the park was Mizell, then known as "Jazzy Jase". Mizell was known for his flashy wardrobe and b-boy attitude, which led to minor legal troubles as a teen. Thereafter, he decided to pursue music full-time and began entertaining in the park soon after. Eventually, Simmons and McDaniels rapped in front of Mizell at the park, and the three became friends immediately. Following Russell's success managing Kurtis Blow, he helped Run record his first single, a song called "Street Kid." The song went unnoticed, but despite the single's failure, Run's enthusiasm for hip-hop was growing. Simmons soon wanted to record again—-this time with McDaniels, but Russell refused, citing a dislike for D's rhyming style.[6] After they completed high school and started college in 1982, Simmons and McDaniels finally convinced Russell to let them record as a duo, and they recruited Mizell (who now called himself Jam-Master Jay) to be their official DJ. A year later, in 1983, Russell agreed to help them record a new single and land a record deal, but only after he changed McDaniels' stage name to 'DMC' and marketed the group as "Run–D.M.C.", a name which, incidentally, that the group hated at first. DMC said later, “We wanted to be the Dynamic Two, the Treacherous Two — when we heard that shit, we was like, ‘We’re gonna be ruined!’ ”[7]

After signing with Profile Records, Run–D.M.C. released their first single "It's Like That/Sucker MCs", in late 1983. The sound was a revolution in hip hop: aggressive, cocky rhymes over spare, minimal, hard-hitting beats. Previously, rap music had been chiefly funk and disco-influenced, but Run–D.M.C.'s sound, like their name, was unlike anything that had been heard in rap before. The single was well received, peaking at #15 on the R&B charts.[8] The trio performed the single on the New York Hot Tracks video show in 1983. Emboldened by their success, Run–D.M.C. recorded their eponymous debut and, released in 1984, Run–D.M.C. was an instant hit and, arguably, rap's first classic album.[citation needed] Hit singles such as "Jam-Master Jay" and "Hard Times" proved that the group were more than a one-hit wonder, and the landmark single "Rock Box" was a groundbreaking fusion of raw hip-hop and hard rock that would become a cornerstone of the group's sound and paved the way for the rap rock movement of the late 1990s.

Run–D.M.C.'s swift ascension to the forefront of rap with a new sound and style meant that old school hip hop artists were becoming outdated. Along with pushing rap into a new direction musically, Run–D.M.C. changed the entire aesthetic of hip hop music and culture. Old school rappers like Afrika Bambaataa and Melle Mel of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five tended to dress in the flashy attire that was commonly attributed to rock and disco acts of the era: tight leather, chest-baring shirts, gloves and hats with rhinestones and spikes, leather boots, etc. Run–D.M.C. discarded the more glam aspects of early hip hop's look (which ironically, was later readopted in 1990 by more "pop" rappers MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice) and incorporated a more 'street' sense of style such as fedoras, leather jackets, and unlaced Adidas shoes.[1] The group's look had been heavily influenced by Mizell's own personal style. When Russell Simmons saw Jay's flashy, yet street b-boy style, he insisted the entire group follow suit.[9] Run said later:

“ There were guys that wore hats like those and sneakers with no shoestrings. It was a very street thing to wear, extremely rough. They couldn’t wear shoelaces in jail and we took it as a fashion statement. The reason they couldn’t have shoelaces in jail was because they might hang themselves. That’s why DMC says ‘My Adidas only bring good news and they are not used as felon shoes.'[10] ”

That embrace of the look and style of the street would define the next 25 years of hip hop fashion. (Wikipedia)

Monday, 11 October 2010

MASSIVE show this week.... Approx 8 years ago, Gilles Peterson and DJ Shadow came together for a special Brownswood Basememnt show.... last week they did it again and what a show it was......

"Gilles was joined by super crate digger and music icon, DJ Shadow for a special Brownswood Basement.

The pair dive into the music, with a whole host of rare tunes from all corners of the globe ; Australia to Hungary and tracks from Meditation Singers, Omar Khorshid, Andrew Wartts, Darling Dears and more.

They also get deep into conversation, chatting about how DJ Shadow gets through 400,000 7" records, Korean psych, record shop tactics & and his ultimate record!" Quoted from BBC Website

Sunday, 3 October 2010

"Titling an album Black Soul is a risky move. Soul can mean anything, depending on who you’re talking to. And Black Soul – the name that adorned countless compilations the world over in the early 1970s – is generally used to refer to that specific breed of soul music that came to the fore when James Brown rocked a pompadour, and Aretha Franklin’s weight was southward of 160 pounds. But leave it to Madlib to use the term Black Soul to refer to a dynamic point in the Black American musical experience – the mid to late 70s, when soul was giving way to disco, when the groove was on it’s way to the boogie, when funk was on it’s way to fonk. This is a mix that, like the previous entries in the Madlib Medicine Show skirts convention while testing its listener’s music acumen.

Note: Madlib Medicine Show #9 has been delayed - release is currently TBA" (Stones Throw Records)

Big Tune!!! Top drawer modern soul with an irresistible thumpin' beat that’s RARE RARE RARE, now out on our SOUL7 label for all to hear! Another quality double sider and with Billy Byrd’s throaty vocals appearing on two class songs. Produced by Georgia native Calvin Arnold, known for his funk output, perhaps it was his influence that gave this record such a solid, intense rhythm? Yes it’s the beat that really counts, few records of this nature have such an incessant, heavy groove that has so much appeal to the dance floor. Back in the ‘70s when it was first released the record went nowhere, and it’s remained extremely scarce ever since. Why such low sales? Was ‘Lost on the Crowd’ ahead of its time? We certainly think so, and NOW is the time to put that right! (Jazzman)

Originally issued in 1961 on Savoy Records and at the dwindling tail end of Nappy Brown’s initial R&B career, Coal Miner was a huge record which belonged, sound-wise at least, to his peak, some years prior. With its honking sax and sleazy Fever-esque bass line, the song probably arrived a little too late in the day to seriously trouble the charts at the time but nowadays it sounds perfect for the R&B set and is Nappy’s signature record on the Mod and Popcorn scenes, and beyond.

A few years ago, a previously unheard take of Coal Miner was uncovered, a little longer and with slightly more off-kilter percussion and sax refrains – and dig that triangle! Still keeping the stomping, rasping, honking feel of the released version in place, but amplifying the quirkiness no end, this take was probably deemed a little too unconventional for release, but again it has fast become the version today. We are pleased to finally offer up this version on 45rpm vinyl for the first and what will also probably be the last time ever! Backed up with the original Savoy take, as released, which is still an incredible sound in its own right.

The label has been named ‘Saxco’ in tribute to the late and very, very great bandleader, songwriter and arranger Sax Kari, whose long and largely unsung career enhanced that of many other artists. Sax passed away just over a year ago, with little to no tribute or fanfare in the mainstream media, and not even much noise made in R&B circles. We can only recommend further investigation into Sax’s long and winding career, and would say that any 45 bearing his credit is one worth listening to... (Jazzman)

Seminal booze blues from Amos Milburn, sparking a million spin-offs and answer records when it hit the R&B charts in the early 50s. A song which, even if you've heard it a thousand times, can't fail to put you in a better spot. Which is odd really, as the lyrics are the polar opposite of uplifting Amos missus has walked out on him and he is pleading with the barman not to kick him out on the street. And he's not asking for much, just a Scotch with a Bourbon chaser and a nice Pint to wash it down. Ah, we've all been there, haven't we!?!? (Jazzman)

Tracklisting:

Side A - One Scotch, One Bourbon, One BeerSide B - Chicken Shack

Buddy Lucas - I Got Drunk 7 Inch (Groove)

2 really superb Jump movers back to back from the always excellent Buddy Lucas. 'I Got Drunk' is a brash stomper with excellent vocals about boozing and being totally sozzled! On the other side, Buddy takes a step back to lead the band and hand vocal duties over to Almeta Stewart. (Jazzman)

"Classic Pittsburgh twin spin monster two sided double header - yes indeedy. I thought "Sloppy Drunk" was the best R&B drinking song, but I reckon "I Got Drunk" might just top it. On the flip Almeta Stewart takes the mic for a baseball-themed female vocal version using the same backing track." (Piccadilly Records)

Friday, 17 September 2010

The up-and-coming producer/DJ announced his arrival earlier this year with the ‘Your Words Matter’ 12″, a collaboration with his friend Ramadanman released on Will Saul’s Aus Music label. This was followed by Play The Game, a four-track EP on Phonica Records that really showcased the breadth of his sound. Midland makes warm, tensile house and techno, but the narrative shape of his tracks and his regular deployment of fragmented, ethereal vocal snippets betray the influence – conscious or otherwise – of dubstep individualists Burial, Pangaea and Joy Orbison.

If his epic 23-track FACT mix is anything to go by, our man also draws inspiration from much further afield. It’s packed with unreleased material, including Midland originals ‘Shelter’, ‘Hub’ and ‘Dead Eyes’, together with his remix of Caribou’s ‘Sun’ and cheeky re-edits of Washed Out and Massive Attack, and Appleblim & Ramadanman’s immense, forthcoming ‘Void 23′. There’s also classic house from Kerri Chandler, shark-eyed minimal from Arnaud Le Texier and DJ Koze, plus recent cuts from Space Dimension Controller, Workshop, 6th Borough Project and a special edit of Boards Of Canada exclusive to this mix.

Wednesday, 15 September 2010

Metropolis Records will release the new album, Answers Come In Dreams, on CD and digital in the US & Canada on October 12th. Hydrogen Dukebox will release the album in the UK on digital on October 12th and on CD & LP November 1st.

The iTunes deluxe version of the album will feature two bonus videos (“# Zero” and “Quietus”).

There will also be a limited edition CD/DVD version of the album in the UK featuring five of the videos Jack has created for the album.

Released today, this digital-only EP is totally compiled from tracks that will not be on the new album. The iTunes version includes a bonus video for “Totally Together” and is available here:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/totally-together/id388500940

MEAT BEAT MANIFESTO STORE & PRE-ORDER

We are working on a store re-launch to hit in about two weeks. In the meantime we will also shortly be launching a pre-order for the new CD with a bonus track not available elsewhere. We’ll also be making a new T-shirt for the new album and hope to have the UK LP and limited edition CD/DVD in the store too.

Monday, 13 September 2010

This Blog is dedicated to the Raves & DJ's of Room 6 (Folkestone). DJ TNT and DJ Jeff (Room 6) were the original pioneers of raving in Folkestone from 1989, organising small illegal raves at the Warren and Trance Dance which made the Folkestone Herald to one offs at village halls, the East Cliff Pavillion, The Metronome and club nights at Heroes and Bottoms.

This BLOG has been created by my good Friend Mr. S Wiggins who has focused on the illegal and legal raves around 1989-1992. For those who know.....

"Maintaining their simple ethos of releasing wonderful music in beautiful bespoke screen-printed sleeves with a gang of red hot remixers along for the ride, Bubble Club return with number three in the series and we're starting to get a better idea of where the Bubble Club may be.

"Lonely Acid" is an immaculately produced slice of lysergic soul, recalling those formative days of House emerging from Chicago's underground gay scene but rendered in glorious 21st century Technicolour. It's another instantly catchy track, which works wonderfully well in it's original vocal form, but takes on a whole new shape in the truly incredible 'Bubble Club Takes A Trip' version, which effortlessly straddles the point where Italo meets early House and takes more than a few sips of the acid punch before purposefully wading into the fray.

As if that wouldn't be enough to further confirm BC as one of the most exciting new labels around, they've raised the bar once again with a truly gobsmacking interpretation from NY's Brennan Green Taking the lysergic inspiration in hand he pulls off a beautifully tripped out Dub excursion, which sounds like Basic Channel remixing Paul Simpson". (Phonica Records)

Monday, 6 September 2010

This Monday’s FACT mix is by a man named Four Tet. He should require no introduction.

Born Kieran Hebden, Four Tet was already making waves as a member of the group Fridge when he dropped ‘Thirtysixtwentyfive’, his 1998 debut single for Trevor Jackson’s Output label (you can probably guess how long the track lasted). A debut album, Dialogue followed, but what really propelled Hebden to stardom – and set the tone for Four Tet as one of music’s most celebrated and in-demand remixers, later lending his magic to Bloc Party, Radiohead, Anti-Pop Consortium and many more – was his remix of Aphex Twin’s ‘[Cliffs]’, commissioned for Warp Records’ Warp 10 + 3: Remixes collection.

A series of acclaimed albums for Domino followed, along with more improvisational collaborations with late jazz drummer Steve Reid, the end credits of a Bond film, and a blink-and-you-missed it 12” release with Burial, accumulating in this year’s There Is Love In You – arguably Hebden’s most realised, composed, and beautiful album to date.

A large part of Four Tet’s musicianship in recent years has revolved around his residency at Plastic People, the much-loved East London club that earlier this year faced closure. Well, seeing as it’s now re-opened, Hebden will be restarting his residency this Saturday, September 11, and this mix is done to celebrate it. Ramadanman, Villalobos, Oni Ahyun and more feature, along with Four Tet’s own mixes of Rocketnumbernine and Bob Holroyd, and an original new Four Tet track for Soul Jazz’s Future Bass compilation.

After close to 15 years apart, electronic duo Global Communication will reunite for a live show in Amsterdam next month.

Comprising Tom Middleton and Mark Pritchard, both of whom went on to find success in other areas of electronic music, Global Communication’s ‘90s work is considered seminal, particularly their debut album 76:14, an interstellar ambient house-fest that still sounds inspiring today. They also compiled number 26 in Fabric’s mix CD series, but Pritchard had moved to Australia by that point, so they never collaborated in person while recording it.

Well, now the two will join forces again for two shows at the SCI+TEC showcase at Amsterdam’s Dance Event [via Resident Advisor]. The pair claim that their sets will “span many genres and eras, and explore our inspirations from early ’90s techno, house, ambient and electronica right up to the cutting edge of modern production.”

And that’s not all, GC have confirmed that there will be more live dates next year, and even better, they will begin producing new music together again. Good show. (FACT Magazine)

Thursday, 26 August 2010

"Introducing Magic Wire Recordings….. New label from WerkDiscs' artist Lone (AKA Matt Cutler). With this debut 2 track 10" from the man himself we're graced with two slabs of nostalgic neu haus and early 90's hardcore, some what of a departure from the dreamy, hazed out hip hop of his albums 'Ecstasy & Friends' and the now classic 'Lemurian'. 'Pineapple Crush' hits us with old skool 4/4 808's and heavy rave stabs, all drenched in his own unique melodic style….. This is music that will destroy the club but will also soundtrack hazy afternoon parties in the sun. Gorgeous but heavy and already being cained by the likes of Glasgow's LuckyMe crew, Alexander Nut, Kode 9, TRG, Gilles Peterson, Joy Orbison and Mike Paradinas. This is a huge step forward you won't have seen coming!! Flip to side B for 'Angel Brain' - a 130bpm rushed up house banger, again showcasing Lone's childhood roots in all things Detroit and London warehouse hardcore. Huge euphoric stabs ride over pounding funky house drums. Like a sort of imaginary style of rave music that should have sound tracked 'Streets Of Rage' back in the day. If there's one theme linking what Lone's doing here to his earlier releases, it's the feeling of nostalgia. Where as before the reference points where 80s TV themes or tripped out synth boogie, here it's the sound of your older brother's pirate rave tapes, super heavy and totally warped out. As we wait for further heavyweight releases this year on like the massive 'Once in a While' and 'Raptured' - let this be an introduction to the next phase of Lone's master plan.…." (PHONICA RECORDS)

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